Simpler isn't always better for newbies...
I think that "safer" is actually better than "easier" for newbies. The majority of gun owners will never use their guns to defend their lives, but every gun owner faces the very real possibility of screwing up and having a negligent discharge.
There was a poll that appeared on this website within the last year. The poll asked people to honestly admit if they ever had a negligent discharge in their lives as shooters. To my surprise, over 30% of people on this forum, that replied to the poll, admited to at least one negligent discharge. 30%!!!!
That poll got me thinking even more about safety. I'm sure if polled, probably less than 5% of regular civilians on this forum ever had to use their guns to defend their lives from a criminal or a wild animal.
Glocks, XDs, and M&Ps are great guns, but lets face it, they all have very light triggers and very little in terms of relevant, built-in safety features (with the exception of the XD). True SA hand guns are as safe as it gets: unless you cock the hammer, that gun will not discharge by pulling the trigger. It doesn't get any safer than that. You will not find a gun safer than a single action autoloader or a single action revolver. I think that the Hi-Power is an excellent choice for a beginner, or for that matter an advanced shooter.
I own a single action .22 lr/.22 magnum revolver. It is a pain to load and unload, but I bought it primarily to teach my wife about shooting. I could have gotten a lot of other guns, but I decided on the single action gun so that she'd have the safest platform to learn on.